


There's More Than One Way To Solve A Love Triangle

by Stubbornness_and_Spite



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Outsider, Pining, Possibly Unrequited Love, Post-Canon, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29547246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stubbornness_and_Spite/pseuds/Stubbornness_and_Spite
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles for Ricky/Nini/E.J. (a ship that I think there is a criminal lack of. Your Honor, they're all adorable and I love them)Specific warnings at the beginning of each chapter. I might expand on some of these eventually.Spoilers for all of HSMTMTS
Relationships: Ashlyn Caswell & E.J. Caswell, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell/Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. Ricky

**Author's Note:**

> Unless otherwise specified, all the one-shots take place in the same continuity where after HSM, Nini is offered a spot at the Conservatory for her senior year, not the second semester of her junior year, and she accepts.

Ricky tried to be jealous of EJ. He really did. He even succeeded for a while.

  
Then he threw a basketball at the other boy’s face.

  
Now, throwing a basketball at someone’s face isn’t really a reason to stop hating them, but in this case, it showed Ricky two things. One, that he’d taken his attempt at jealousy way too far. And two: that EJ was really hot without a shirt on.

  
EJ was also an asshole, but Ricky had known that. Ricky was a bit of an asshole; it wasn’t a deal-breaker.

  
But Ricky had messed up enough with one partner, he didn’t need to try for two.

  
He quietly came out as poly to Big Red who responded with, “Cool. Wanna watch a movie?”

  
He came out as bi to his dad who had a tiny crisis that he hid surprisingly well before telling Ricky that he loved him and was proud of him.

  
He called Nini’s house on a day he knew she was out with Kourtney and talked to her moms for a while. He told them he was bi and poly and they asked if he wanted a coming-out party. He said he’d consider taking them up on it when he got up the courage to come out to Nini. They convinced him to come over just for a few minutes and wrapped him up in all the mom-hugs that he’d been missing.

  
He started spending more time with the cast, accepting his fate as a theater kid.

  
Then they finally performed.

  
And his mom showed up with Todd.

  
And left again.

  
And Nini kissed him. She said she wanted to get back together with him. The Ricky from September would have thought everything was perfect. The Ricky in December was thrilled and in love and wishing EJ was there too. He didn’t know what to say, so he kissed Nini and wished that the wishing would go away.


	2. Ashlynn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashlynn doesn't know what she's looking at but she knows there's not a lot she can do

The main cast of High School Musical: The Musical spent most of their free time during the holidays at Ashlynn or Big Red’s house. Sometimes the other cast members joined them but most of the time it was a combination of Nini, Ricky, Gina, EJ, and Seb. Carlos usually tagged along with Seb and Big Red was usually there either with Ricky or Ashlynn. 

Ricky was sitting on the couch with his arm around Nini, laughing at something EJ had said. EJ was sitting in a chair by the couch and leaning over with his elbows on his knees. None of them noticed when Ashlynn walked into the room so she watched them for a moment. 

When EJ had come home from theater camp the past summer, he’d immediately come over to her house, with the biggest smile she’d ever seen on his face, to tell her about this girl he’d met. Ashlynn had met Nini before and, last she’d heard, Nini was dating someone else, but EJ looked so happy, she couldn’t bear to bring him down. So she sat with him in the living room and let him go on and on with a lovestruck grin on his face. 

He had the same grin on his face now. Ashlynn winced because EJ never was good at letting things or people go. She almost walked over to interrupt and save EJ the heartbreak when Nini and Ricky inevitably kissed, because the two of them were practically attached at the lips anymore, but before she could, Ricky leaned over and pressed a kiss to Nini’s temple. Nini giggled and turned to kiss him properly. Ashlynn looked over at EJ sympathetically, but EJ’s smile never wavered. He rolled his eyes as they pulled apart and it hit Ashlynn that EJ’s lovestruck look wasn’t just directed at Nini. He was grinning at Ricky too. 

Ashlynn bit her lip and walked away. There was only so much heartbreak she could save him from.


End file.
